Politics blog + Human rights | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog+law/human-rights
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Lord Rennard case overshadows more serious issues of sexual politicshttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2014/jan/20/lord-rennard-case-damaging-lack-proportion
The hysterical language and media furore over the harassment allegations reveal a damaging lack of proportion<p>What does the revelation that the late Labour minister and good guy <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/19/malcolm-wicks-autobiography-ethical-decision-child-benefit" title="">Malcolm Wicks saved child benefit</a> from a Labour government cut in 1976 have to do with the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/20/nick-clegg-lord-rennard-no-apology-no-whip" title="">row over Lord Rennard's refusal to apologise</a> to female Lib Dem activists whom he is alleged to have harassed?</p><p>On the face of it, not a lot, I grant you. Catch up with Andrew Sparrow's live blog for the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2014/jan/20/nick-cleggs-today-interview-on-the-lord-rennard-affair-politics-live-blog" title="">latest developments in a fast-moving micro-drama</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2014/jan/20/lord-rennard-case-damaging-lack-proportion">Continue reading...</a>Lord RennardLiberal DemocratsPoliticsGenderWorld newsWomen in politicsWomenHuman rightsLawMon, 20 Jan 2014 12:43:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2014/jan/20/lord-rennard-case-damaging-lack-proportionJohn Downing/Getty ImagesLabour MPs at the state opening of parliament in November 1976. Photograph: John Downing/Getty ImagesKeystone/Getty ImagesBarbara Castle in 1974 as social security secretary. 'Her generation would have thought the Rennard case rather less important than the fights for equal pay and child benefit'. Photograph: Keystone/Getty ImagesKeystone/Getty ImagesBarbara Castle in 1974 as social security secretary. 'Her generation would have thought the Rennard case rather less important than the fights for equal pay and child benefit'. Photograph: Keystone/Getty ImagesMichael White2014-01-20T12:43:32ZFiddling with prisoner votes while Europe burnshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/nov/23/prisoner-votes-europe
As continent slips deeper into economic crisis, there are better ways to spend our money than on burgeoning rights industry<p>Future historians of the decline of Europe may ponder the events of the past week with astonishment. As the continent slipped further towards poverty – relative in some cases, absolute in others – it quarrelled over votes for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/nov/22/prisoner-voting-mps-option-reject" title="">British prisoners</a> and the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/22/david-cameron-eu-bureaucrats-pay" title="">pension accrual rate</a> of officials in Brussels.</p><p>Closer to home a vocal minority within the Anglican church explicitly wrecked a long-sought goal of the majority to permit the ordination of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/nov/22/might-mitre-female-bishops" title="">women bishops</a> – and did so, they solemnly declared, to prevent a schism within the same worldwide communion. In the background, government ministers promised an <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/22/gay-marriage-vote" title="">early vote on gay marriage</a> with an explicit promise that churches which do not wish to perform them will not be forced to do so.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/nov/23/prisoner-votes-europe">Continue reading...</a>European UnionEuropean court of human rightsHuman rightsEuropePrisons and probationWorld newsFinancial crisisEconomicsBusinessLawUK criminal justiceSocietyFri, 23 Nov 2012 11:08:31 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/nov/23/prisoner-votes-europeVincent Kessler/REUTERSJudges in the European court of human rights. Photograph: Vincent Kessler/REUTERSVincent Kessler/REUTERSJudges in the European court of human rights. Photograph: Vincent Kessler/REUTERSMichael White2012-11-23T11:08:31ZGary McKinnon: a case of double standards?http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/oct/17/gary-mckinnon-case-double-standards
The home secretary's decision not to extradite the Crouch End Asperger's sufferer has caused others to raise questions<p>On balance I was glad that Theresa May decided that Pentagon computer hacker, Gary McKinnon, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/16/gary-mckinnon-not-extradited-may" title="">will not be extradited</a> to the United States to face charges that could have seen him sent to prison for up to 70 years. But you can't please everyone. The US government is cross, so is former Labour home secretary, Alan Johnson. As for the friends of recently deported terror suspects such as Barbar Ahmad, and of allegedly dodgy British businessmen, they are accusing May of double standards.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/oct/17/gary-mckinnon-case-double-standards">Continue reading...</a>Gary McKinnonBabar AhmadUK newsTheresa MayPoliticsWorld newsExtraditionUK criminal justiceUS newsHuman rightsHuman Rights ActLawComputingTechnologyWed, 17 Oct 2012 12:33:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/oct/17/gary-mckinnon-case-double-standardsRex FeaturesGary McKinnon will not be extradited to the US following a decision by Theresa May. Photograph: Rex FeaturesRex FeaturesGary McKinnon will not be extradited to the US following a decision by Theresa May. Photograph: Rex FeaturesMichael White2012-10-17T12:33:01ZTheresa May's legal problems rooted in British respect for the lawhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2012/apr/19/theresa-may-legal-problems
Home secretary's tangle with European court of human rights is regrettable and only helps the court's less rational critics<p>Jack Straw once remarked that home secretaries had to live with the knowledge that in every corner of their vast bureaucratic domain officials are busily working on policies that might end their careers.</p><p>He and his Tory successor, Theresa May, both had good cause to remember that observation on Thursday.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2012/apr/19/theresa-may-legal-problems">Continue reading...</a>Theresa MayCivil serviceJack StrawPoliticsUK newsUK civil libertiesLawEuropean court of human rightsHuman rightsAbu QatadaThu, 19 Apr 2012 12:34:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2012/apr/19/theresa-may-legal-problemsAndy Rain/EPAAn English Defence League protester demonstrates outside the Home Office. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAAndy Rain/EPAAn English Defence League protester demonstrates outside the Home Office. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAMichael White2012-04-19T12:34:00ZWhat response to Chris Tappin's extradition? Silence in court | Micahel Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2012/feb/29/chris-tappin-extradition-silence-court
Strasbourg intervened in Abu Qatada's case, but not in Tappin's. Britain is happy to extradite; France is not. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the prosecutions, there is a clear case for more consistency and transparency in the legal system<p>I felt some sympathy for Chris Tappin, the 65-year-old British businessman and golfer who has just been extradited to Texas on what he calls &quot;preposterous&quot; charges of illegally shipping air defence batteries to Iran. Before he left Heathrow handcuffed to a US marshal, Tappin complained that he seemed to have fewer human rights than Abu Qatada, the incendiary vicar whose unwanted presence here is costing us all so much money.</p><p>How are the cases linked except by Tappin's bitterness that he can be removed to the States via the controversial 2003 US-UK extradition treaty while Abu Qatada can avoid deportation to his homeland, Jordan, on the grounds that evidence used against him in terrorist proceedings may have been obtained by torture of witnesses?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2012/feb/29/chris-tappin-extradition-silence-court">Continue reading...</a>European court of human rightsCourt of justice of the European UnionUK supreme courtUK newsHuman rightsAbu QatadaLawWed, 29 Feb 2012 13:09:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2012/feb/29/chris-tappin-extradition-silence-courtJustin Tallis/AFP/Getty ImagesChris Tappin: in custody in a very different jurisdiction. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty ImagesJustin Tallis/AFP/Getty ImagesChris Tappin: in custody in a very different jurisdiction. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty ImagesMichael White2012-02-29T13:09:51ZHaven't we discharged our obligations to Abu Qatada? | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/feb/07/discharged-our-obligations-abu-qatada
We are stuck with the prospect of being unable to deport a man who seeks to overthrow our way of life but makes good use of it<p>It's never a good start to the day to find the Bethlehem-born former Acton resident <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Qatada" title="">Abu Qatada</a> on the tabloid front pages again. His reputation as &quot;Osama bin Laden's ambassador to Europe&quot; and his ability to use the legal system to prevent his deportation to Jordan provides unhealthy scope for self-righteous indignation all round. It is not confined to the tabloids.</p><p>The Guardian's Alan Travis <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/06/abu-qatada-release-home-office-fury" title="">provides the basic facts of the latest twist here</a>, the prospect that the special immigration appeals commission (Siac) will order Abu Qatada's release from Long Larten maximum security jail within days, as well as some of the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/06/abu-qatada-detention-unprecedented-lawyers" title="">background to his on-off detention</a> for a total of eight years since October 2002. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/06/why-not-abu-qatada-trial" title="">Richard Norton-Taylor offers possible explanations</a> why he has never been charged, let alone brought to trial, in Britain. It's been a bad business.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/feb/07/discharged-our-obligations-abu-qatada">Continue reading...</a>Abu QatadaHuman rightsPoliticsWorld newsLawUK newsEuropean court of human rightsTue, 07 Feb 2012 10:53:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/feb/07/discharged-our-obligations-abu-qatadaRui Vieira/PALong Lartin prison, where Abu Qatada has been held. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PARui Vieira/PALong Lartin prison, where Abu Qatada has been held. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PAMichael White2012-02-07T10:53:55ZReality check: can owning a cat be grounds for appeal against deportation?http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2011/oct/04/reality-check-cat-theresa-may
Theresa May claims an illegal immigrant was able to use the Human Rights Act to appeal against his deportation because he had a cat. <strong>Polly Curtis</strong> fact checks her claim. Email your views to <a href="mailto:polly.curtis@guardian.co.uk">polly.curtis@guardian.co.uk</a>, contact her on Twitter <a href="mailto:http://twitter.com/#!/pollycurtis">@pollycurtis</a> or join the debate below the line.<p><span class="timestamp">1.10pm:</span> The home secretary Theresa May <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/03/theresa-may-criminals-deportation">today announced</a> that immigration rules will be reformed to ensure that Article Eight of the ECHR – the right to a family life – can't be used by criminals to avoid deportation. She claimed that one illegal immigrant had successful appealed against deportation by citing his relationship with his cat. She told the Conservative party conference: </p><p>We all know the stories about the Human Rights Act. The violent drug dealer who cannot be sent home because his daughter – for whom he pays no maintenance – lives here. The robber who cannot be removed because he has a girlfriend. The illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because – and I am not making this up – he had pet a cat.</p><p>As part of the application and as part of the appeal, the couple gave detailed statements of the life they had built together in the UK to show the genuine nature and duration of their relationship. One detail provided, among many, was that they had owned a cat together for some time.</p><p>The appeal was successful and when giving the reasons for the success the judge did comment on the couple's cat. It was taken into account as part of the couple's life together. The Home Office asked for the decision to be reconsidered. They argued it should be reconsidered because the decision was wrong in law, and one error they cited was that too much consideration was given to the couple's cat.</p><p>This case is often listed, misleadingly, alongside cases... of convicted criminals who challenge their deportation on Art 8 grounds. In fact, the case concerned a man who came to the UK as a student and was refused leave to remain and did not concern deportation on grounds of criminal conviction. The immigration judge had allowed his appeal on the basis of a former Home Office policy (DP3/96) which said that if an individual lived in the UK with a settled spouse for two years or more without enforcement action being taken against them, they were entitled to leave to remain. The appeal was also allowed on Art 8 grounds – he had a long-term relationship with a British citizen and they had lived together for four years. The reference to the cat was one detail provided by the couple as evidence of their long-term relationship but did not form any part of the tribunal's reasons for deciding that he should be allowed to stay in the UK.47 The Home Office appealed but the senior immigration judge upheld the decision on the basis that the former Home Office policy (DP3/96), although it had since been withdrawn, still applied in this case (due to the date of the initial decision)</p><p>Theresa May makes no real effort to support her cat example on World at One. Says her speech was fact-checked and she'll look into it</p><p>Clarke challenges Theresa May to a bet that no one has been stopped from being deported from owning a cat (as she said in her speech earlier</p><p>judges say that Theresa May got it wrong in claiming illegal immigrant couldn't be deported cos he had pet cat - cat nothing to do with it</p><p>catfight! theresa may's attack on cat-owning foreigners is challenged by ken clarke. oh yes the fur is flying in manchester</p><p>Of course everything that went into my speech was checked. I gather that there has been some question now from a spokesman questioning that and of course I will look at it again.</p><p>The Home Secretary's confusion probably arises as a result of a number of press articles in 2009 which wrongly blamed the cat for the decision, as pointed out in this post by <a href="http://tabloid-watch.blogspot.com/2009/10/mail-and-sunday-telegraph-cat-alysts.html">Tabloid Watch</a> at the time.</p><p>It's totally cynical. It's specious to rely on a completely distorted and inaccurate account of one decision of one tribunal. If that's the best they can do, then that just reveals the poverty of their thinking about human rights in general and Article 8 in particular. It's shocking and quite depressing that the secretary of state should reply on specious, dishonest representations of one particular decision.</p><p>The client was originally refused leave to remain for reasons that included the home office disbelieving his relationship. The home office did not accept that he was in a longterm relationship here. One of the issues in the appeal was proving that the couple did in fact have a significant and existing relationship. As is typical, we produced evidence from a wide-range of sources - evidence from the couple, their friends. One of the things that they referred to was that they had bought a cat together and that was indicative of the seriousness of their relationship. The cat had been mentioned in the application to the home office as evidence of their commitment. </p><p>The Home Office when it gave reasons for refusing the application was very scathing about the mention of the cat, saying in a very snide way that the cat didn't have human rights. It was the home office who started making the issue of the cat. The tribunal accepted that there was a genuine existing relationship [between the man and his partner] and he won. The tribunal judge obviously had an interest in animals. He went off on a detour saying that it was wrong for the home office to diminish the significance of the cat. It wasn't a material part of his judgement. Absolutely not at all. </p><p>She introduces her reference to the cat saying&nbsp;&quot;I am not making this up&quot; and immediately follows that with a number of untrue statements.&nbsp; She may not have made it up, but someone has and she has repeated that person's falsehoods.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2011/oct/04/reality-check-cat-theresa-may">Continue reading...</a>ConservativesConservative conferenceConservative conference 2011UK newsImmigration and asylumLawHuman Rights ActHuman rightsTue, 04 Oct 2011 12:13:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2011/oct/04/reality-check-cat-theresa-mayRui Vieira/PAHome secretary Theresa May. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PARui Vieira/PAHome secretary Theresa May's diary has been lost. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PAPolly Curtis2011-10-04T12:13:00ZDale Farm: two sides to every story | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/uk/blog/2011/sep/19/dale-farm-two-sides-story
I worry when the version of events at Dale Farm I hear on the BBC or read in the Guardian is so much at odds with the account I read in the Daily Mail and elsewhere <br /><br />If you wish to comment on this issue, please go to our <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/sep/19/dale-farm-evicitons-live" title="">live blog</a><p>One of my liberal friends says: &quot;Whenever I see Fergal Keane on the telly I turn down the sound.&quot; My friend has Irish ancestry, which I do not. But I know what he means. The BBC's Keane turned up at the Dale Farm Traveller camp the other day and has been providing regular frontline reports for radio and TV. I am astonished.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/blog/2011/sep/19/dale-farm-two-sides-story">Continue reading...</a>Dale FarmPoliticsUK newsRoma, Gypsies and TravellersProtestWorld newsHousingCommunitiesSocietyHuman rightsLawMon, 19 Sep 2011 10:18:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk/blog/2011/sep/19/dale-farm-two-sides-storyBeretta/Sims / Rex Features/Beretta/Sims / Rex FeaturesProtests at Dale Farm Travellers' site in Essex. Photograph: Beretta/Sims / Rex FeaturesBeretta/Sims / Rex Features/Beretta/Sims / Rex FeaturesProtests at Dale Farm Travellers' site in Essex. Photograph: Beretta/Sims / Rex FeaturesMichael White2011-09-19T10:18:13ZChinese human rights row: both sides are right | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/jun/28/chinese-human-rights-row-both-side-right
I have sympathy for Chinese people who resent being lectured on human rights, but repression and the failure to strengthen the rule of law are damaging both politically and commercially<p>Whenever a clash occurs between a British prime minister and a Chinese dignitary over human rights, I flinch on behalf of the offended dignitary and then remember the conversation I had with an anti-American Brit at a party.</p><p>The process kicked in again yesterday when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen_Jiabao" title="">Wen Jiabao</a>, China's premier, ticked off David Cameron for insisting on publicly airing concerns about the treatment of Chinese dissidents such as the newly-released (again) artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_Weiwei" title="">Ai Weiwei</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/jun/28/chinese-human-rights-row-both-side-right">Continue reading...</a>ChinaWorld newsHuman rightsLawForeign policyPoliticsUK newsAsia PacificTue, 28 Jun 2011 09:29:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/jun/28/chinese-human-rights-row-both-side-rightWarren Allott/AFP/Getty ImagesProtesters hold up placards as they take part in a demonstration against Chinese involvement in Tibet. Photograph: Warren Allott/AFP/Getty ImagesWarren Allott/AFP/Getty ImagesProtesters hold up placards as they take part in a demonstration against Chinese involvement in Tibet. Photograph: Warren Allott/AFP/Getty ImagesMichael White2011-06-28T09:29:45ZSex offender register: the judges aren't always wrong | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/society/blog/2011/feb/17/sex-offender-register-judges-arent-always-wrong
Fond as I am of disagreeing with judges, I think the supreme court is right to allow people on the sex offender register the right to appeal against indefinite registration<p>As my closest friends will confirm, this column is quite happy to pull the wig off a passing judge if it suspects that he or she is playing to the gallery, being any combination of arrogant, irresponsible or unaccountable, or seeking to expand the remit of the court by mission creep. It happens everywhere, part of an eternal battle.</p><p>Here we are again in slightly mutated form. The supreme court in London – opposite parliament just to the west of Westminster Abbey – has ruled that around 20,000 people on the sex offenders' register (England and Wales) for life should have the right to appeal against indefinite registration on the grounds that three quarters don't re-offend and the punishment is thus &quot;disproportionate&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/blog/2011/feb/17/sex-offender-register-judges-arent-always-wrong">Continue reading...</a>Sex offenders registerSocietyPoliticsUK newsUK bill of rightsLawEuropean court of human rightsHuman rightsHuman Rights ActUK supreme courtTheresa MayDavid CameronThu, 17 Feb 2011 11:38:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/blog/2011/feb/17/sex-offender-register-judges-arent-always-wrongFelix Clay/Felix ClayThe supreme court has ruled that people on the sex offenders' list in England and Wales should have the right to appeal against indefinite registration. Photograph: Felix ClayFelix Clay/Felix ClayThe supreme court has ruled that people on the sex offenders' list in England and Wales should have the right to appeal against indefinite registration. Photograph: Felix ClayMichael White2011-02-17T11:38:06ZBangladesh torture investigation: questions need to be answered | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/jan/18/bangladesh-torture-investigation-questions
The Guardian's investigation into the Task Force for Interrogation operation in Bangladesh and its links with MI5 and MI6 raises important questions<p>Have you read today's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/17/uk-link-bangladesh-torture-centre" title="">Guardian account of exchanges of information between British security services and their Bangladeshi counterparts</a> which points to the likelihood that torture was used against terrorist suspects interrogated on behalf of the UK?</p><p>If not, you should, though it is not a cheery read on Blue Tuesday. Pulleys, blocks of wood, voltometers and pliers (for the finger nails) are not instruments which should be used on the human body in the 21st century. Have we learned so little?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/jan/18/bangladesh-torture-investigation-questions">Continue reading...</a>TortureLawWorld newsUK security and counter-terrorismUK newsCounter-terrorism policyPoliticsBangladeshHuman rightsSouth and Central AsiaTue, 18 Jan 2011 12:06:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/jan/18/bangladesh-torture-investigation-questionsShahidul Alam/GuardianThe headquarters of the Rapid Action Battalion headquarters in Uttara. Photograph: Shahidul Alam for the GuardianShahidul Alam/GuardianThe headquarters of the Rapid Action Battalion headquarters in Uttara. Photograph: Shahidul Alam for the GuardianMichael White2011-01-18T12:06:41ZAre judges making the wrong decisions on human rights? | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/dec/17/judges-wrong-decisions-human-rights
The implications of recent high-profile cases are troubling, especially when laws may be changed in line with ECHR rulings<p>In their different ways the Guardian and the Daily Mail are excited this morning by two court rulings involving human rights yesterday, both of which strike me as wrong and unwisely insensitive – even though I share the judge's prejudice in one instance.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, the case where I agree in substance is the case given sympathetic coverage by the Guardian. &quot;Irish woman's right to lifesaving abortion upheld,&quot; says a headline above a photo of a cheerful-looking campaigner for women's right to choose.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/dec/17/judges-wrong-decisions-human-rights">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsHuman rightsHuman Rights ActLawUK newsIrelandWorld newsEuropeFri, 17 Dec 2010 11:53:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/dec/17/judges-wrong-decisions-human-rightsPeter Byrne/PAPaul Houston, the father of Amy Houston, a 12-year-old girl who was killed in a hit and run incident by failed asylum seeker Aso Mohammed Ibrahim. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAPeter Byrne/PAPaul Houston, father of Amy Houston who was killed in a hit and run incident by failed asylum seeker Aso Mohammed Ibrahim. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAMichael White2010-12-17T11:53:02ZGuantánamo Bay prisoners: pay out and move on | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2010/nov/16/guantanamo-bay-prisoners-pay-out
Although it may annoy purer spirits among us, the government is right to pay compensation to former Guantánamo Bay detainees who alleged UK complicity in torture<p>Well, well. The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2010/nov/15/legal-aid-cuts-free-advice" title="">government is slashing the civil legal aid budget</a> to all sorts of poor people on the very day that it emerges that it is <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/16/guantanamo-bay-compensation-claim" title="">paying out &quot;several million pounds&quot;</a> to former detainees in Guant&aacute;namo Bay who allege British complicity in torture overseas.</p><p>In its blunt way, the Daily Mail calls the payouts &quot;hush money&quot; paid to spare the intelligence service, former Labour ministers and the United States the embarrassment of a long and very public civil law suit with an uncertain outcome. Here's a level-headed <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10641330" title="">BBC summary</a> of the affair.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2010/nov/16/guantanamo-bay-prisoners-pay-out">Continue reading...</a>Guantánamo BayCubaUS newsWorld newsPoliticsUK newsTortureLawHuman rightsBinyam MohamedOmar DeghayesVotes for prisonersAmericasTue, 16 Nov 2010 10:56:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2010/nov/16/guantanamo-bay-prisoners-pay-outAFP/Getty Images/Reuters/PAFormer Guantánamo Bay detainees Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Martin Mubanga. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/PAAFP/Getty Images/Reuters/PAFormer Guantanamo Bay detainees Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Martin Mubanga.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/PAMichael White2010-11-16T10:56:08ZSex, state and church: conflicting attitudes in Iran, Cameroon and the UK | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/jul/08/sex-church-cameroon-gay-rights-asylum
From Cameroonian gay men gaining asylum, an Iranian woman facing stoning, to Dr Jeffrey John being denounced, how do we view the public attitude to a private act?<p>Considering that sex must be just about the ultimate <em>private</em> activity it causes a great deal of public anguish and anger for individuals and policymakers alike. It's all over the newspapers again today.</p><p>Gay politics in the Church of England, an alleged adulterer facing stoning to death in Iran, not to overlook that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/07/gay-men-granted-uk-asylum" title="">Cameroonian gay man known only as HT</a> who made history in the British supreme court when he and co-plaintiffs got an appeal court ruling overturned in favour of their asylum application.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/jul/08/sex-church-cameroon-gay-rights-asylum">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsUK newsChristianityImmigration and asylumReligionLGBT rightsSexCameroonWorld newsHuman rightsCatholicismIranAfricaThu, 08 Jul 2010 11:39:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/jul/08/sex-church-cameroon-gay-rights-asylumPA Photo/PADr Jeffrey John, criticised for his sexuality when put forward as Bishop of Southwark. Photograph: PA Photo/PAPA Photo/PADr Jeffrey John, outside the St Albans Cathedral in 2004 Photograph: PA Photo/PAMichael White2010-07-08T11:39:06ZNaseer-Khan terrorism case means dilemma and compromise for coalition – welcome to government | Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/may/19/naseer-khan-terrorism-coalition-compromise-michael-white
Virulently against control orders when in opposition, Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne may now be reading files on terrorism that make them slump head in hands. Such are the realities of power<p>David Cameron's new coalition government was embarrassed yesterday by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/18/pakistani-students-terror-suspects-deportation" title="that immigration court's decision">the special immigration court ruling</a> in the case of Abid Naseer and Ahmed Faraz Khan. It seems that the two Pakistani students are simultaneously a threat to the security of Britain, and cannot be sent home for fear that their own police might threaten their security with a spot of torture.</p><p>Tricky, isn't it? Welcome to government, government. What will happen next? The Guardian's experts in this field, Ian Cobain and Richard Norton-Taylor, are prompted to highlight the dilemma faced by Nick Clegg and his fellow Lib Dem minister Chris Huhne.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/may/19/naseer-khan-terrorism-coalition-compromise-michael-white">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsUK newsNick CleggChris HuhneLawHuman rightsCounter-terrorism policyUK security and counter-terrorismWorld newsLiberal-Conservative coalitionConservativesLiberal DemocratsWed, 19 May 2010 10:18:26 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/may/19/naseer-khan-terrorism-coalition-compromise-michael-whiteHandoutAbid Naseer: court ruled he was an al-Qaida operativeHandoutAbid Naseer Photograph: HandoutMichael White2010-05-19T10:18:26ZBinyam Mohamed case: would an inquiry clear the air?| Michael Whitehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/feb/11/binyam-mohammed-torture-inquiry
Where an issue is as much about politics as it is about the law, would such an inquiry produce results that command respect? I am not sure it would<p>After <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/10/binyam-mohamed-torture-mi5" title="">yesterday's high court drama</a> I'd be on the side of those calling for a judicial inquiry <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/10/torture-mi5-binyam-mohamed" title="">into the allegations of MI5 and MI6 collusion in torture</a>, the Binyam Mohamed case, if it wasn't for a nagging doubt.</p><p>Where an issue is as much about politics as it is about the law, would such an inquiry produce results that command respect and thereby do some long-term good rather than undermine confidence in due process and between allies such as Britain and the US?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/feb/11/binyam-mohammed-torture-inquiry">Continue reading...</a>Binyam MohamedDavid MilibandDavid DavisCounter-terrorism policyPoliticsTortureHuman rightsGuantánamo BayUS newsWorld newsUK newsLawThu, 11 Feb 2010 14:01:44 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/feb/11/binyam-mohammed-torture-inquiryLeon Neal/AFPBinyam Mohamed speaking for the first time since his release from Guantanamo. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFPLeon Neal/AFPBinyam Mohamed speaking for the first time since his release from Guantanamo. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFPMichael White2010-02-11T14:01:44ZDavid Miliband statement on Binyam Mohamed torture evidence ruling - as it happenedhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2010/feb/10/david-miliband-binyam-mohamed-statement
• Miliband says court ruling in Binyam Mohamed case causing "a great deal of concern" in the US<br />• Rules out public inquiry<p><strong>1.19pm:</strong> That's it. The full text of Miliband's statement should go up <a href="http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/">on the Foreign Office website </a>at some point, but it isn't there yet.</p><p>In the meantime, here are the main points from his statment.</p><p>We will work carefully with the US in the weeks ahead to discuss the judgment and its implications.</p><p>We are luck to have the best intelligence agencies in the world.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2010/feb/10/david-miliband-binyam-mohamed-statement">Continue reading...</a>Binyam MohamedGuantánamo BayTortureHuman rightsPoliticsDavid MilibandCounter-terrorism policyWed, 10 Feb 2010 11:51:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2010/feb/10/david-miliband-binyam-mohamed-statementAndrew Sparrow2010-02-10T11:51:21ZRoyal marriage and succession rules 'defy human rights laws' | Andrew Sparrowhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/jan/18/royal-family-succession-rules
Parliamentary committee says both rules are contrary to human rights legislation and that the government should amend the law to get rid of them<p>Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrat MP campaigning to change the laws saying that royals cannot marry Catholics if they want to inherit the throne and that men take precedence over women in the line of succession, has won a minor victory.</p><p>Today a parliamentary committee has said that both rules are contrary to human rights legislation and that the government should amend the law to get rid of them.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/jan/18/royal-family-succession-rules">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsUK newsMonarchyHuman rightsMon, 18 Jan 2010 12:26:33 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2010/jan/18/royal-family-succession-rulesAndrew Sparrow2010-01-18T12:26:33ZTaxing bankers' bonuses 'does not breach their human rights'http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/dec/21/taxing-bankers-bonuses-human-rights
Committee of MPs and peers concludes that new tax is compatible with European law<p>When it emerged that Alistair Darling was planning to announce a tax on bankers' bonuses in the pre-budget report, some figures in the City seemed to think that their human rights were about to be infringed.</p><p>Bill Dodwell, the head of taxation at the accountants Deloitte, revealed that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/07/alistair-darling-shock-tax-bankers" title="he had taken calls from bankers wanting to know if they could use the Human Rights Act to protect their cash.">he had taken calls from bankers wanting to know if they could use the Human Rights Act to protect their cash</a>.</p><p>It is ... clear that the hurdle facing anyone challenging a taxing measure under article one, protocol one is very high. They must demonstrate that the measure is devoid of reasonable foundation or imposes an excessive and individual burden which is disproportionate to the public good. Even on the basis of the summary justifications provided in the pre-budget report it would appear difficult to conclude that the measure is devoid of reasonable foundation.<br />The measure is likely to raise a not insignificant amount of revenue (estimated to be about &pound;0.55bn); it is part of a package of measures designed to address excessive risk-taking in the banking industry and to require banks to consider the soundness of their capital base; it is directed at banks rather than individual bankers; and it is intended to be a one-off tax, in place only until the more systemic reforms in the financial services bill come into force.<br />Nor is it likely that those who are most directly affected by the new tax will be able to demonstrate hardship amounting to an excessive individual burden.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/dec/21/taxing-bankers-bonuses-human-rights">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsUK newsBanks and building societiesBankingBusinessMoneyExecutive pay and bonusesTaxTax and spendingEconomic policyHouse of LordsHouse of CommonsHuman rightsWorld newsLawMon, 21 Dec 2009 15:50:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/dec/21/taxing-bankers-bonuses-human-rightsJason Hawkes/Getty ImagesThe City of London from the air. Photograph: Jason Hawkes/Getty ImagesJason Hawkes/Getty ImagesAs the power of financial centres such as the City of London grew, James Tobin's transaction tax ideas failed to gain favour. Photograph: Jason Hawkes/Getty ImagesAndrew Sparrow2009-12-21T15:50:48ZVetting volunteers to protect children: a charter for more mutual suspicionhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/sep/11/criminal-checks-volunteers-children
The ideas underpinning the new Independent Safeguarding Authority will force 11.3 million of the population to pay a dangerously high price<p>What a way to start the day – waking up to find oneself in agreement with the front page of the Mail, one of the most hysterical platforms in British public life outside TV soaps where the characters shout at each other all the time.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/sep/11/criminal-checks-volunteers-children">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsPrivacyChild protectionSocietyVolunteeringHuman rightsUK newsCrimeSurveillanceSchoolsEducationFri, 11 Sep 2009 11:58:33 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/sep/11/criminal-checks-volunteers-childrenMichael White<br />2009-09-11T11:58:33Z